Mass Shootings – My kids school on lockdown & Hope & Love >
Fear
I have read, listened to and seen so much information about
the mass shooting in Parkland, FL that took 17 lives and forever altered
countless others. I have listened to people debate gun laws, parenting or the
lack of, hate groups and countless other topics this subject brings up.
The day after the shooting my kids high school was put on lock
down for an anonymous note found threatening to shoot up the school. Neither of
my kids were at school at the time of the lock down.
All of this makes me sad, tired and the enemy would love to
make me afraid. Afraid to send my kids to school. Afraid for the parents of
young kids in my church that have to send their kids to school for a lot longer
than I do (mine are in 9th and 12th grade).
But the truth is I still believe that Love > Fear &
Love > Hate.
Too simplistic - you
state.
But let’s remember that in all of the stories of tragedy –
stories of great personal sacrifice are also being told.
Like the story of Aaron Feis, assistant football coach and
security guard who threw himself in front of students to shield them from
bullets and later died from his injuries. Or teacher Scott Beigel, who opened
his classroom door to let students in and was shot dead by the gunman.
John 15:13 ESV Greater love has no one than this, that
someone lay down his life for his friends.
You see history teaches us that in face of great evil, love
and hope still remain and yes even triumph. As a Christian, I do not deny the
reality of evil and tragedy but I do believe that God can and will bring good
out of everything.
Romans 8:28 NLT And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good
of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Like Jesus, I weep with those who weep
Romans 12:15 NLT Be
happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.
And I long for the day that evil is done and this world
restored.
Revelation 19:11-16 NLT 11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its
rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous
war. 12 His eyes were like
flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him
that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen,
followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a
sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He
will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a
winepress. 16 On his robe at his thigh[e] was
written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
I don’t have answers for the very complex realities that we
are living in, and you may call it naïve but I truly believe that Jesus, Hope
and Love are the only real answers that will change anything.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is credited with the quote. “The
ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its
children.”
If we believe this, what kind of
world are we leaving to our children? I can’t change everyone but I can change
me and work to bring hope and change to those in my sphere of influence.
I still believe that repentance
and Revival are the only real hope for America but I still believe there is
Hope.
Our friend Daniel Norris in his
book Trail of Fire says “No matter how dark it may seem, if God did it before,
He can do it again. He has not forsaken us! The same God who moved in the past
stands ready to move in the present. Our greatest days are not behind us but
ahead of us. Revival has always been God’s remedy for an ailing nation. Go
ahead and look back and remember the wonders of the Lord. Then look toward
heaven and pray with me, “Lord, do it again,…”
In any functional society, the
family is the “building block” of the community. If we want our society
changed, it must start with the family. Families have never been as broken as
they are today. As the church, we must deal with the issues of fatherlessness,
divorce, abuse, pornography, and all other forms of dysfunction in our
families. “God is calling fathers and mothers (both spiritual and biological)
to bring order to the chaos that the enemy has unleashed against families in
America.” Generals International Website
Malachi 4:6 declares that this must happen. “And he will turn the hearts of
fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I
come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
My daughter starts college in the
fall. She is going to major in criminal justice and wants to be involved in the
legal system. That field can show us the very face of evil. That could bring me
fear but I believe that God needs Christians in every sphere of influence. God
is calling us to manifest the Glory of God in and through our everyday working lives.
Right now Cason wants to be a coach or a teacher. I believe God can use him in
this field to impact lives for Christ.
This is my hope for my children
and it is firmly rooted in my belief in Jesus Christ. I believe that God will
be with them in whatever they choose to do in life because they have accepted
him as Savior and made Him Lord.
Tragedy has a way of invading all
of our lives in one form or another. We must all deal with the issues of Where
is God in my suffering?
Tim Keller has said “While other worldviews
lead us to sit in the midst of life’s joys, foreseeing the coming sorrows,
Christianity empowers its people to sit in the midst of this world’s sorrows,
tasting the coming joy.”
I believe the answer to “where is God in my suffering” is that
He is sitting with us, offering His Presence and the Comfort only He can bring-
together anticipating the day
“He will wipe every tear from their
eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain’” Revelation
21:4
That’s good news! That’s hope
and love! And both are > my fear!
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